Bleach: Everything is Obtained
by nawirama13
Summary: The battle against Aizen is about to finish, but someone's mind is already out of it. Shunsui's battle is now within himself. What's going on in the complex mind of the gallant? First chapter a bit more humourous, the others a bit more dramatic.
1. Sweet Dreams

**Author's Note: **So, this starts during the battle against Aizen that was shown during the manga and anime. This story should be 4/5 chapters long. I'll most likely write three other stories that are supposed to happen at the same time. This is all meant to set up my post timeskip story. Pretty big plans, right? Hopefully, it will all go well!

**I don't own Bleach.** The original story and characters are all part of the great work done by Tite Kubo.

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><p>Chapter 01 - Sweet Dreams<p>

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><p>"You guys..." The shocked Ichigo mumbled as he couldn't believe what was happening in front of him. Why were they attacking her like that? "What the hell are you doing?"<p>

"Huh?" The illusion fell as soon as the four captain-level Shinigami heard Ichigo's words. All their eyes widened as they saw that Momo Hinamori was the one impaled by Hitsugaya's Hyōrinmaru. "_Hi-Hinamori?"_

"Damn it!" Shinji shouted as he turned towards the place where Hinamori should have been. Izuru Kira and Tetsuzaemon Iba suddenly felt a new and powerful spiritual pressure behind them which caused them to turn instinctively. They had no time to defend themselves, as Aizen slashed through both. Shinji Hirako stared in disgust to his former vice-captain who smirked in defiance. "When?"

"When? What an interesting question." Aizen stated with that usual calm and omniscient look on his face. "You know that my Kyōka Suigetsu's power is Complete Hypnosis, right? It can control all five senses and lead people to hallucinate all sorts of things."

"Since when?" The furious Shinji insisted as he charged towards his enemy. "I'm asking you when you used your Kyōka Suigetsu!"

"Then let me ask you this. When did you think that I wasn't using my Kyōka Suigetsu?" Aizen asked, infuriating Shinji even more. At the same time, Tōshiro Hitsugaya carefully laid the injured Hinamori on the top of a building.

"Shiro...chan..." Hinamori, who was in a near-death state, called the young captain. "Why..."

"Hi..." Hitsugaya was shaking in both fear and anger when Hinamori closed her eyes. Then, he exploded. A loud scream of rage echoed throughout the fake Karakura Town.

"Wait! Hitsugaya-taichō!" Shunsui Kyōraku, who had been struggling to remain himself under control, shouted as Hitsugaya charged in a blind rage.

"You're full of openings." Aizen remarked, seeming quite disappointed as he did. A simple slash, so fast that couldn't even be seen, divided Hitsugaya's body nearly in half. Suì-Fēng, the closest ally, attempted to stab Aizen with her Suzumebachi, but her too was brought down by Kyōka Suigetsu. Shinji brought down his Sakanade, only to be blocked and repelled by the barrier that protected Aizen's blind spot. As the barrier disappeared, Shunsui slashed with Katen Kyōkotsu but Aizen disappeared. The laid-back captain couldn't believe he had failed at such a short distance. It hadn't been Shunpo. It hadn't been Sonido. It had been an illusion. Before Aizen reappeared, Shunsui already had two deep gashes in his chest.

"_I...How..." _Shunsui still hadn't realized what happened to him by the time he saw Shinji being cut down as well. How much time had passed since Hitsugaya had been cut in half? Not much...None of the four had fallen yet.

**Flashback**

"Swinging a sword out of hatred is just filthy violence. We don't call that a battle. Aizen..." Tōshirō Hitsugaya lectured the much more experienced Sōsuke Aizen. "You truly are unworthy of being a captain."

**End of Flashback**

_"I guess...I'm not worthy of it then..." _Shunsui thought as they started to fall. _"After all these years...too feel useless like this again...what an idiot indeed..."_

* * *

><p>"Nanao-chaaaan! Nanao-chaaaaan!...Sweet, sweet Nanao-chaaaaan!...Lovely, lovely Nanao-chaaaan!" Shunsui kept calling for his vice-captain. He was layed down under the shade of his favorite tree on the courtyard of the 8th Squad's barracks, his straw hat covering his face to protect it from the sun.<p>

"Yes, Kyōraku-taichō?" Nanao finally answered.

"Could you bring me the bottle I left on top of my desk, please?" Shunsui asked without lifting his head.

"It's already here, Kyōraku-taichō." Nanao said immediately afterwards, surprising her captain.

"What do you mean by...oh my, Nanao-chan!" His eyes went blank and his hat fell backwards as he saw that Nanao was coming near him only in her bra & panties, while holding the bottle of sake like a trophy to be delivered. As she knelt by his side, Shunsui shook his head in disbelief. "Na-na...Are you really my Nanao-chan?"

"Of course, Kyōraku...sama..." Nanao suggestively whispered in his left ear, before kissing his cheek. She then lifted the bottle and carefully poured the sake into Shunsui's mouth. The captain of the 8th Division swallowed the liquid and tried to wipe a bit that remained at the corner of his mouth, only for Nanao to stop him by holding his hand. "Allow me, Kyōraku-sama."

"O-of course..." Shunsui couldn't refuse Nanao's advances and she came closer to him, her face coming "dangerously" close to her captain's. Then, she placed her left hand on his cheek but stopped to take off her glasses. Shunsui's eyes got even larger as she continued to get closer. Truth was, he would never expect Nanao to be so seductive. At the last second however, she simply moved her fingers and wiped the sake from Shunsui's lips.

"Please, enjoy your drink, Kyōraku-sama." Nanao asked as she suddenly stood and put her glasses back in place. "I'll pick the other bottles you've hidden all around your office. I won't take long."

"S-sure!" Kyōraku clumsily answered, before she turned. As embarrassed as Kyōraku was, he was still a man. He couldn't move his eyes away as he saw her go. Even though her upper parts weren't too developed, the lower ones were quite well shaped. Only when she entered the barracks, did the much older captain regain his composure. He crossed his legs and sighed. "I never intended to have her answering to my advances. It was just a way of playing with her...Oh man, what am I gonna do?"

"Can we join you, Shunsui?" A familiar voice asked. A woman's voice. Shunsui turned and, to his great shock, two were standing in front of him only in lingerie, very revealing lingerie. The two were Isane Kotetsu and Rangiku Matsumoto, from the 4th and 10th Squads respectively. Even more, their pieces of lingerie were of the same color that represented their Division, the 4th's dusky pink and the 10th's olive green.

"_Why am I caring about the colors?" _Shunsui found himself shaking his head once more, but the color issue was put aside as soon as Rangiku jumped and landed on his lap. "Whaaa?"

"Ohh, Shunsui, you're so tense today. Why aren't you looking to me? Or is it...Well, I guess I can't blame you." Rangiku giggled as she realized that by having her arms wrapped around Shunsui's neck, he could only stare into her huge breasts. Even the gallant Shunsui was having a hard time dealing with such a situation, blood rushing to his nose. "Join us, Isane. This will be...so...much...fun!"

"I...I don't know if...Maybe..." The taller woman was visibly embarrassed. Her face a crimson red. Her arms and hands hanging in the best way she found in an attempt to cover her body. Rangiku sighed and rolled her eyes, before leaving Shunsui's lap. He took the opportunity to pick and rip a piece of paper that he had inside his captain's haori. As he finished to cover his nostrils with the smaller pieces, he stared forward, causing his eyes to widen once again. Rangiku had her arms wrapped around Isane's neck, making the latter even more nervous.

"Ran-Rangiku-san..."

"C'mon, I'll put you more comfortable, Isane. I know that deep down you want this to happen." Rangiku insisted.

"Well...Not that deeply..." Isane admitted, causing Rangiku to smirk. Then, their faces started to come closer. Shunsui couldn't hold it any longer. The blood jets that came from his nose were so powerful that he was projected against the tree behind him. The impact was strong and made him lose the notion of what was happening for a moment. When he raised his head, he noticed a black cat in front of him. Considering the cherry blossoms surrounding it, there was the chance that the cat came down of the tree's branch because of the impact of Shunsui's back when hitting the tree.

"Geez, come here kitty." Shunsui called and picked the animal, before laying back against the tree and looking up to the sky. "What's happening with me? Why can't I get into this?"

"You're just not in the mood."

"Huh?" Shunsui stared back to the black cat in his hands. It seemed like the cat was smiling. Its paw seemed like it was pointing to its own face. Shunsui stared curiously to the cat for awhile and then he realized. "Black cat...Oh! Yoruichi-chan!"

"It's been awhile, Kyōraku-taichō." The cat's eyes started to glow and its body to grow. Before Kyōraku could even react, he had a nude and gorgeous dark-skinned woman seated on his lap in Indian style. Shunsui tried to back away from her but she wrapped her legs around his waist, restricting his movements. "Oh? You're really failing to meet my expectations. You're supposed to be a legend in seduction, Kyōraku-taichō, but you're acting like an inexperienced child...Even though I like them like that, you're a bit too old to play that role."

"Yoruichi-chan, what's happening here? Something's not right..." Kyōraku asked as he returned to a seated position. He seemed confused as he covered his face with a hand.

"It seems like something in your heart isn't letting you enjoy your time with us. That's why I said that you're not in the mood." Yoruichi explained. "It's a damn shame. This sure is a pretty darn good dream."

"A dream? This is only a dream?"

"Only? Not everything is lost then, you're still a pervert..." Yoruichi turned her face to watch the vice-captains for a moment, before looking back to Kyōraku with a smirk. "Well, some sure are enjoying this. At least, this show's integrity remained. What they're doing isn't something to be aired...at this time slot, that is."

"_So I'm dreaming about breaking the 4th Wall?" _Kyōraku thought, before slapping his own forehead.

"Good morning, Kyōraku-taichō, Yoruichi-san." A new woman arrived in the courtyard and greeted them. Unlike the other women, she still had her clothes on, specially a haori that distinguished her as captain of the 4th Division.

"Unohana-san? Not you too!" Kyōraku shouted in disbelief.

"Oh, so you like older women too? Kinky..." Yoruichi stated, before re-applying the hold she had released just before. Her leg strength was so much that Kyōraku's eyeballs almost came off.

"Yoruichi-san, could you please help me with my braid?" Unohana asked with her kind voice.

"Of course! Let me just finish my conversation with Kyōraku." Yoruichi answered as she came closer to her "victim".

"Yoruichi-san...could you help me...with my braid?" Unohana repeated, this time using that intimidating look that everyone feared.

"Eh, how could I refuse you, Unohana?" Yoruichi's surprised look was quickly replaced by a devious smirk. She released Kyōraku, who was gasping for air, and embraced the leader of the 4th Division.

"HEEY!" A woman shouted immediately afterwards, not allowing any action to the two captain-level shinigami. "Yoruichi, you bitch! You're hosting such a party without inviting me?"

"Not me, Kūkaku. This is his dream, not mine." Yoruichi quickly clarified, pointing an accusatory finger towards Shunsui.

_"K__ūkaku__ Shiba? I'm so screwed..." _Kyōraku thought as the sister of the former vice-captain of the 13th Squad advanced towards him, with an angry look on her face.

"Kyōraku, you pervert! Dreaming with me, bastard?" She asked with a swell vein on her forehead.

"No, I..." He didn't have a chance to explain himself since she punched him right in the nose, breaking it immediately.

"Don't talk back! Understood?" Kūkaku asked, with her right foot coming dangerously close to Shunsui's groin, causing the latter to nod frenetically but in silence.

"Oh, so you like to play the hard way, too? Kinky..." Yoruichi couldn't avoid to comment.

"Yoruichi! What the hell are you doin..." Kūkaku didn't finish her accusatory question, as she saw the answer right before her in the shape of Unohana's body. "Can't blame you on this one...You did a hell of a job in getting rid of that, Yoruichi!"

_"I need a drink..." _Shunsui found himself thinking as he finished all the sake in one shot. Considering he was in the middle of his own dream, it wasn't that weird when Nanao came back of his office, holding another bottle.

"I'm back, Kyōraku-sama." Nanao announced as she carefully layed the new bottle by his side. She crawled her away towards Shunsui and held his face, before her face started to come closer to his. As she was about to kiss him, she stopped again. "Why?"

"Huh?" Shunsui opened his eyes but a bright light didn't allow him to see her. He was sure her voice sounded differently and at the same time familiar.

"Why?" He heard again, as the light started to fade. He could see her shape, but now she seemed to be wearing a shirt and a short skirt. He couldn't see her clearly, because of the stupid light. "Why haven't you helped me, idiot?"

"This ain't Nanao-chan..." Shunsui's eyes widened as he started to hurt. He looked down and saw the wounds in his chest. It seemed like the slashes made by Aizen earlier. At least, he knew he was alive. He was hurting and not because of the wounds, but because of the words said by the woman in front of him. The light faded a bit more and he could see her now, her face covered in tears. She put her hand in front of her face, creating her characteristic hollow mask in the process. Then, just a second afterwards, her entire body dissolved like when a hollow was killed. "Lisa-chan..."

"What are those two doing with Yoruichi-sama?" A woman suddenly shouted as she saw what the woman she most admired was doing along with other women. "That can't even be aired...Yoruichi-sama...Bankai!"

"Oh boy..." Shunsui sweatdropped as he saw the huge missile held by the captain of the 2nd Squad.

"Jakuhō Raikōben!" Suì-Fēng shouted as she unleashed the huge golden missile. An explosion of nuclear proportions followed.

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><p>"Aaah!" Shunsui suddenly sat up, his face covered in sweat. It had been a nightmare. It had been something he hadn't experienced in a long, long time. The pain that had awaken him was still there. This time however, it was really from his wounds. As he looked down to his chest, he saw that his upper body had been bandaged up under the black kosode of his Shihakushō.<p>

"So you woke up. It's about time." A women spoke. As soon as Kyōraku saw the captain of the 2nd Division seated on part of a building's wall, he jumped back with a most frightened look on his face. "Is something wrong, Kyōraku-taichō?"

**Flashback**

"That can't even be aired...Yoruichi-sama...Bankai!"

**End of Flashback**

"No, no! Not at all!" Kyōraku clumsily answered, not convincing Suì-Fēng, who grimaced in pain a second later. "Are you alright, Suì-Fēng-taichō?"

"I've been worse..." She answered, while the captain of the 8th Division walked towards her. "Unohana-taichō is only assuring our survival, since she's the only one on the field. She'll come back later."

"Unohana-san, eh? I see...What about the others? How are they?"

"None died, but most are in pretty bad shape." Suì-Fēng guaranteed, causing the older captain to sigh in relief. "She went to heal Hitsugaya-taichō first."

"To have been able to assure his survival, it's too good already." Kyōraku stated as he remembered the youngest of the 13 captains being severed in half. Suddenly, they both felt a lot heavier. It wasn't spiritual pressure, at least they couldn't feel it. Whatever it was, it gave them the feeling of being crushed. Then, as fast as it started, the feeling disappeared.

"What...was that?" Suì-Fēng mumbled, sweat covering her face. She was now feeling lighter than she was before that strange feeling.

"I'm not sure but if I had to take a guess..." A smile appeared on Kyōraku's face. He stared up to the sky and saw the clouds slowly moving away. "I would say it's over."

"I don't know why...but I agree with you." Suì-Fēng's head hanged down and Kyōraku could hear her exhaling a long sigh.

"Taichōōōō!" Marechiyo Ōmaeda appeared out of nowhere, calling for his superior. As soon as he reached them, he hugged Suì-Fēng, while tears filled his eyes. "Taichō! I'm so happy that you're alright!"

"Ōmaeda..." Suì-Fēng slowly called her vice-captain, who slightly released her, allowing her to hit him with a typical rising backfist. "You idiot! You're making pressure on the cut in my back! Release me now, you fat pig!"

"Oh, you're so mean, taichō..." Ōmaeda mumbled, as he held his sore nose with both hands.

"I need to search for someone. Will you be alright?" Kyōraku questioned and Suì-Fēng promptly nodded, while behind her back Ōmaeda shook his head. "Thanks. I'll be going then..."

* * *

><p>"That should do it for the time being." Unohana announced as she finished treating Hiyori. Lisa, Love, Rose, Hachi and Shinji were all surrounding them.<p>

"For the time being?" Lisa, who was kneeled by the side of the unconscious Hiyori, asked as she saw the captain of the 4th Division turn her back on them. "You mean she might not make it?"

"Kido's limitations are no different from normal medical treatment." Unohana started to explain. "We've completely healed the body. From here on, as long as she doesn't give up her will to live, she'll eventually regain consciousness. Whether she will give up or not is something you'd know better than I do."

"Thank you, Unohana-san." Shinji thanked the healing expert with his head hanged down.

"Why are you thanking me?" Unohana turned to them once again as she made the question. "A thank you isn't necessary for saving a friend."

"We're not friends, you idiot." Shinji answered after awhile. Then, he grinned. "Well, that's probably what Hiyori would say."

"I see..." Unohana smiled before turning once again. She was feeling four people approaching.

"_Thank you, Unohana-san..." _Shinji silently repeated, before staring to his injured friends.

"Oohoh! I guess we're just in time, huh?" A familiar voice made itself heard. The Visored and Unohana looked to their left, seeing the arrival of Shunsui Kyōraku, who carried a nearly unconscious Jushirō Ukitake on his shoulder. Behind them, was Kensei Muguruma, who carried the injured Mashiro Kuna on his arms.

"Oh no! Look at you!" Lisa immediately stood and rushed towards them.

"Lisa-chan..." Kyōraku's head slightly raised, but Lisa didn't stop when she reached him. Instead, she continued to run until she reached Kensei and Mashiro.

"How is she?" Lisa asked, while Kensei laid his former vice-captain on the ground.

"As always, she was too overconfident in her abilities. She ended up taking a heavy blow..." Kensei shook his head while he explained. "Unohana-san says she'll be alright."

_"I guess I can't blame her..." _Kyōraku thought with a sad smile. "Could you help us here, Unohana-san?"

"It would be more adequate if you called me Unohana-taichō, right Kyōraku-taichō?" Unohana asked with that scary smile of hers.

"After everything that happened today, who cares about honorifics, right?" Kyōraku abused of his luck, but Unohana ended up nodding. Then, the captain of the 8th Division's expression turned a lot darker. "Check on him. He's in pretty bad shape."

"I only had time to close his wound. I'll try to reconstruct his insides now." Unohana she started to use Kido to heal Ukitake. "It's likely that he'll be like Hiyori-san. It will depend mainly on his will."

"Ukitake doesn't lack the will. He lacks the body..." Kyōraku explained the motive of his worry.

"Don't worry. I'll do my best." Unohana assured.

"Thank you, Unohana-san." Kyōraku gratefully nodded and then he stood. "What about Hitsugaya-taichō and Yama-jii?"

"Between my ability and his bankai, we were able to join Hitsugaya-taicho's body parts together. He'll be fine." Unohana informed. "As for Yamamoto-sotaichō, I'll be able to heal all his injuries, except for his left arm. He used Sacrificial Hadō # 96: Ittō Kasō after all..."

"I only remember seeing a glimpse of Ennetsu Jigoku. I would never think he would end up using Ittō Kasō..." Kyōraku admitted. He stared to the gathering of the Visored for awhile, pondering on what to do. "I'll leave him on your hands, Unohana-san."

"Hai." Unohana nodded without taking her eyes from her patient.

"You took quite a beating too, Kensei." Rose stated.

"Tsk, never thought I would lose to a little brat..." Kensei seemed annoyed by Rose remembering him of that. His entire body was covered in sickening bruises.

"Well, they were a strong bunch. That's what's true." Love remembered and Kensei relutanctly nodded.

"It must be some sensation, huh? Everything over, after more than a century..." Shunsui asked with a smirk. Some raised their eyebrows as the 8th Division's Captain approached them.

"Shunsui Kyōraku..." Hachigen mumbled.

"So, what are you going to do now? Going back home?" Shunsui asked to their leader who was first surprised and then upset.

"Back? I don't think that's possible, Kyō..."

"Are you really an idiot?" Lisa furiously interrupted Rose, while her eyes were fixed on her former captain. "How can we go back? We're not Shinigami anymore. We're Visored! Half Shinigami and half Hollow!"

"In my mind, you're simply Shinigami who have access to Hollow powers. That doesn't make you less Shinigami that you were back in the day." Shunsui explained his point of view and then lazily rubbed the back of his head. "The 3rd Division, the 5th Division and the 9th Division are currently without captains. Who better than..."

"Idiot! Who cares about what you think?" Lisa shouted, causing Shunsui to look at her surprised. "Central 46, remember them? They ordered our deaths, because of what we are! That won't ever change...Shinigami are supposed to do what Central 46 tells them to do, so how in the hell can we come back?"

"In his report to them, Yamamoto-sōtaichō can only mention the participation of the Gotei 13 and Ichigo. Us, Urahara-san, Yoruichi-san and Isshin-san can't be mentioned. In fact..." Shinji opened his arms as he explained. "...it wasn't only this fake town that was created by Kurotsuchi. To them, the Tenkai Kecchu will also be a creation of him."

"But we have more than enough proof that everything was orchestrated by Aizen." Shunsui remembered. "They won't be able to close their eyes on that."

"Perhaps on Yoruichi and Kisuke's case...but that doesn't change the fact part of us is Hollow." Kensei insisted on Lisa's earlier point. "If one of us went berserk..."

"It's obvious that you can control your powers! We've seen that!" Shunsui's voice sounded louder than he expected. He was getting nervous since all his arguments were being countered.

"But there's no proof it won't happen someday. That is Central 46's position and is the correct one." Love stated.

"It's sad, but we'll have to remain in the Real World, Kyōraku-taichō." Shinji laid a hand on his former comrade's shoulder.

"To remain in the shadows like this, it's unfair..." Shunsui frowned and stared down. _"What they said is all so obvious. Where do I have my mind? Yama-jii discussed all this with us beforehand..."_

"Remain in the shadows? You know that so well, don't you?" Lisa aggressively asked.

"Well, if you're referring to my Zanpakutō's abilities..."

"No...I'm referring to you not doing a shit to help us during this last century." Lisa clarified with a sad and disappointed look on her face, that made Shunsui speechless.

"Lisa, you're being too hard on him." Rose scolded the former vice-captain but she shook her head.

"Help isn't only bringing someone back home. It's also coming to see someone just to know if they're okay or talking with them to give them support. It's giving them a hand when they fall. It's to protect someone from getting hurt. That's help. Did you help us, Kyōraku-taichō?" Lisa questioned the captain who opened his mouth to answer, only to find out that he couldn't. "I thought so. You're...you're really an idiot..."

"Lisa..." Rose called her, but she was already moving towards Hiyori to check on her. An uncomfortable moment of silence soon followed.

"Everyone!" Someone shouted. Everyone looked back to see the arrival of Chōjiro Sasakibe, vice-captain of the 1st Division. "Y-you must get away from here quickly! Kurotsuchi-taichō is going to activate the Tenkai Kecchu anytime now! It's dangerous here!"

_"An idiot...indeed..." _

* * *

><p>"Let go of me! If you don't let me go right now, I'll use you as guinea pigs and put you through the worst kind of horrors!" Mayuri Kurotsuchi shouted furiously. Almost every member of his squad was grabbing him, so he wouldn't press the activation switch. He finally got free from them and pressed the button, only to find out that someone had exchanged the switches. "Are you trying to make a fool out of me? Hurry up and hand over the real one!"<p>

"Please wait a little longer! Just a little longer!" Everyone begged in unison.

* * *

><p><strong>-Nawirama13<strong>


	2. The Hangover

Chapter 02 - The Hangover

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><p>"Come in." Ukitake allowed, after someone knocked on the door of the room he was in, inside the barracks of the 4th Division. Considering the initial predictions made by Retsu Unohana, the recovery of the 13th Division's Captain was quite fast. In the 10 days that passed since the battle in the Fake Karakura Town, Ukitake's internal injuries had been mostly healed.<p>

"Hey! I arrived first, Kiyone!" Sentarō Kotsubaki shouted, while he tried to force himself into the room. A petite girl with dark blond hair was right behind him.

"So what? I'm more worried about Ukitake-taichō!" Kiyone Kotetsu immediately countered and pulled her co-3rd Seat by his wrist, so he couldn't enter.

"I'm worried about him too!"

"But I'm more!"

"There's no need for you to argue with each other." Ukitake interrupted with a nervous laugh. Both 3rd Seats stumbled upon one another, and fell face-first into the floor, causing the Captain of the 13th Division to sweatdrop. _"Are they ever going to change?"_

"How embarrassing, in front of Ukitake-taichō..." Kiyone blushed and looked away from the man she admired. At the same time, her partner fixed his white rope headband, before bowing deeply.

"Taichō! I heard that you're going to be discharged today, so I came to pick you up." Sentarō revealed.

"I came too!" Kiyone quickly added, not wanting to lose to her rival.

"I wonder what has been happening out there..." Ukitake considered for awhile, before he started to cry rivers. "Nobody came to see me during the entire week!"

"We came, taichō!" Kiyone and Sentarō quickly remembered, their faces covered in tears as well.

"I know and I thank you for that, but..." Ukitake once again had a smile on his face, but he couldn't avoid to release a small sigh. "...I expected Kuchiki to at least pay me a visit. Then, there's Kyōraku who has been missing ever since the battle..."

"Kuchiki-san has been with Kurosaki-san since he fell unconscious, but..." Kiyone stopped and traded a worried look with her partner.

"...no one has even seen or heard of Kyōraku-taichō since then." Sentarō finished for her.

"That's so strange. It's not like Kyōraku..." Ukitake held his chin in a thoughtful manner. Someone then knocked on the door. "Come in."

"Excuse me, Ukitake-taichō." The girl with pinned back black hair and oval-shaped glasses made a greeting bow as she entered. Nanao Ise was carrying some folders and other loose files between them. Such disorganization wasn't characteristic of the Vice-Captain of the 8th Division. Plus, she seemed both tired and worried, which made Ukitake think if she had been working too much lately.

"Nice to see you, Ise-fukutaichō." Ukitake greeted her. "It's good that you came. I really wanted to know how Kyōraku has been doing lately."

"Well...he's the reason why I came." Nanao bit her lower lip, since she didn't know how to tell the truth to the best friend of her Captain.

* * *

><p>Kyōraku was sitting behind the desk in his office with a bottle on his hand. Another bottle, which would soon be joining all the others that were already scattered on the floor. There were many, considering that the Captain of the 8th Division spent over one week locked in the office, drinking as much as he could. Being drunk was the best way he found to forget what was hurting him, but no such thing happened. The truth is that after a whole week of drinking, she continued to be the only thing he thought about. She, her words and the disappointment in her face. Then, there was that dream...<p>

Kyōraku poured more sake into the glass. He, in his brief moments of sobriety, found amazing how that glass wasn't corroded yet. It had been too much alcohol already. Then, drunkenness came back. Putting that thought aside, Kyōraku focused again on the dream. Now that he thought about it, he could only think of it as a premonition. The problem is that he realized it too late. He and Lisa had already argued with each other. Or rather, Lisa had argued with him, since he couldn't say a word. Again.

The sadness that filled him had existed for a long time. It had been dormant for much of the last century, after the initial appearance. It had disappeared eventually, much because of the support of Ukitake in the first years. Now, after 100 years, after this encounter, the pain was back. The pain was back, but Lisa wasn't. She was destined to remain in exile in the Human World, while he would continue to be one of the 13 Captains in Soul Society. Two destinies, two incompatible ones.

And why? He knew why and she also knew ... Maybe, if he had done it the right way at the time it happened. Maybe if he had not insisted on proving her value to Urahara, comparing her to Hiyori. Maybe, had he lied and testified against Aizen, even though he had been caught on his illusion. Maybe, if he had used the time that his status as a spiritual being gave him to help the Visored instead of crying and drinking around the corners... Maybe, just maybe, this pain would never even be born.

Damn glass is made of good material...During the entire week, Kyōraku had never been with a hangover. He knew how to avoid it, he just had to keep on drinking. Thank whatever entity that was up there watching over spiritual beings for Shinigami not having to be afraid of facing an alcoholic coma...since "It" created the 4th Division.

* * *

><p>"He has been locked in his office the entire week. He doesn't allow anyone to come in and I'm pretty sure he's always drinking." Nanao revealed with an anguished look on her face. "I hate to admit it, but I'm worried about him."<p>

"It's so strange. Why would he be like that?" Kiyone questioned her Captain who had a very serious look on his face.

**Flashback**

"Help isn't only bringing someone back home. It's also coming to see someone just to know if they're okay or talking with them to give them support. It's giving them a hand when they fall. It's to protect someone from getting hurt. That's help. Did you help us, Kyōraku-taichō?" Ukitake raised his head as he heard the familiar voice, but the pain was too much for him to be able to sat up. "You're...you're really an idiot..."

**End of Flashback**

"Specially considering it's time to be happy and celebrating. He didn't even attend the party organized by his division." Sentarō added.

"I think I know it's going on." Ukitake revealed with a sad smile that didn't pass unnoticed by the other three Shinigami. "It happened once before. I just never expected it to happen again..."

"Yamamoto-sōtaichō has summoned him for an urgent meeting, but I can't get him to answer me. If he doesn't attend it..." Nanao trailed off for a second, as she remembered the one time she was exposed to the huge Reiatsu of the leader of the Gotei 13. "Kiyone-sanseki made a comment about Ukitake-taichō being discharged today, so I came to ask you to accompany me to Kyōraku-taichō's office to convince him to...well, to get his ass out of there!"

"Now now, let's not get angry." Ukitake said with a nervous smile, as Nanao had a swell vein on her forehead and was shaking her fist furiously.

"You sure are a loudmouth...Couldn't you hold it in?" Sentarō whispered to his partner.

_"Thank goodness that she didn't mention the rest of the conversation..." _Kiyone nervously thought, while her face suddenly became a deep crimson.

"Well, let's get going then." Ukitake suddenly came bursting out of his bed and put on his Captain's haori over his pajamas.

"Hey hey, taichō! Isn't it better to wait for Unohana-taichō?" Sentarō grabbed the arm of his Captain, concerned for his well-being.

"Pr-precisely, Ukitake-taichō!" Kiyone shook her head to forget the perverted conversation she had with Nanao. "You shouldn't stand up so quickly!"

"Don't worry. I'm fine." Ukitake assured with a big smile. However, after two steps, Jushirō Ukitake became dramatically pale and fell forward, banging his face on the ground.

"Taichō!" Both 3rd Seats shouted in unison.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." Ukitake's words weren't that convincing, specially since he wasn't getting up. Kiyone and Sentarō quickly came to help but they soon became involved in an argument about who should raise the respected Captain. Nanao watched the scene with a drop of sweat slowly trickling down her forehead.

_"I should've asked someone else..." _She thought.

* * *

><p>"Ken-chan! Ken-chan!" The little girl with pink-colored hair shouted for her Captain, as she ran across the 11th Division's barracks. Two members of that same division tried to stop her from entering the room of Captain Kenpachi Zaraki.<p>

"Do not enter, Kusajishi-fukutaichō! It's not a good time!"

"E-exact! Zaraki-taichō said he didn't want to be disturbed during his nap time!"

"You two..." Both shook with fear as they saw the demonic look of Yachiru Kusajishi and felt the huge amount of reiatsu that she was releasing. "Are you trying to prevent me from seeing Ken-chan?"

"Aaaaah!" The painful screams finally woke up the Captain of the 11th Division, who was lying on the floor.

"What a pain in the ass...What the hell is going on here?" Kenpachi lazily muttered. The doors of his room were knocked down by the two Shinigami that were sent flying by Yachiru. While both were in the floor, foaming from the mouth, Yachiru happily passed over them and came to Kenpachi, who looked over his own shoulder. "What do you want Yachiru? Don't you see I'm trying to sleep?"

"Ken-chan! Ken-chan! Yamamoto-jiisan summoned you to a meeting!" Yachiru explained the reason for the interruption.

"What a pain. I wonder what that old fart wants now..." The moody Kenpachi mumbled as he got up to prepare for the meeting.

* * *

><p>"Come in." The Captain of the 6th Division allowed, after hearing someone knocking on the door of his office. The door opened and a Shinigami from the same division entered. "What is it, Rikichi-nanaseki?"<p>

"I came to deliver this, Kuchiki-taichō." Rikichi handed the envelope to Byakuya Kuchiki and waited for him to take out the letter. "It's a summoning from Genryūsai Yamamoto-sōtaichō."

"Yes, I see." Byakuya curtly replied, without looking up from the letter. Rikichi was just waiting for permission to leave the office, but Byakuya didn't give it immediately. "Shouldn't Abarai-fukutaichō be the one to deliver me this notice?"

"Well...yes, it should, but..." Rikichi nervously replied, not wanting to hand over the man he admired, but the truth was that he didn't want to anger the leader of the noble Kuchiki Clan as well. "A-Abarai-fukutaichō is out there somewhere, training his Bankai. He wants it to be perfect as soon as possible."

"Bankai?" Byakuya stopped looking to the paper in his hand and stared to the young Shinigami, who immediately thought if he had said too much for his own well-being. However, Byakuya didn't rebuke him as he had expected and just looked back to the letter. "I have told him once before that he will need 14 years under a proper training regime to achive perfection with his Bankai."

"So, it's better to start now. The sooner the better, right?" Rikichi's eyes grew larger after he made the question. Only now was he realizing how bold he was being. In fact, Byakuya looked at him again for a moment, in stoic amazement. The Captain of the 6th Division landed the letter on his desk and stood up from his chair, heading for the door and leaving Rikichi behind.

"Rikichi-nanaseki." Byakuya finally spoke, but Rikichi didn't dare to look back. "The truth is that it would be useful for the Gotei 13 if Renji Abarai was able to perfect his Bankai as soon as possible. Perhaps he'll be able to do so in just a few days..."

"Oh, does that mean..." Rikichi hopefully turned, expecting his Captain to help Renji in his training, but Byakuya quickly interrupted him.

"It means nothing. It's simply a truth that applies to any Shinigami who is a part of the Gotei 13, as it will increase the battle power of that Shinigami's division and, therefore, of the Gotei 13 in general. That's what it is. As for you, Rikichi-nanaseki..." Byakuya looked over his shoulder and Rikichi immediately froze. "I'll talk with Unohana-taichō to give a week off to the members of her division who are responsible for cleaning the barracks of the 6th Division and the Kuchiki estate. You will be in charge of this task during that same time, because of your insolence. You are relieved for the moment."

"Hai." Rikichi made a clumsy bow and his Captain went away soon after. _"I really spoke too much..."_

* * *

><p>"Sake-chan's over? Damn..." Kyōraku grumbled as he straightened himself in his chair. Now that there was no alcohol, Kyōraku was beginning to feel the drowsiness and dizziness that he wanted to avoid. He remembered the possibility of still having something in the cupboard at the corner of the office, so he stood up to fetch it. As he took a step, Kyōraku lost his balance and almost fell to the floor, still being able to hold on to the desk at the last second. He tried to take another step. It worked. He tried to take another one. It worked again and he gained confidence. Overconfidence. He tried to take two steps in a row and eventually fell to the floor, face first. <em>"What a ridiculous situation..."<em>

Kyōraku was in such a miserable state that he couldn't get up. So he decided to crawl. And that's what he did, putting on a tremendous effort to reach the cupboard. He climbed over it, clutching the handles of doors and drawers to remain on his feet. He opened all the compartments, only to find that they were all empty. So much effort for nothing, he thought, before letting himself fall back to the floor. At least, he landed on a sitting position, which wasn't all that bad. What would say whoever found the respectable Captain of the 8th Division in this state? What would Nanao say? What would Ukitake say? What would...

"Lisa-chan..." And once again, his focus was back on Lisa Yadōmaru, his former Vice-Captain. Inevitably. Kyōraku's head fell forward. Bad sign. In trying to keep it straight, he let it fall again. Very bad sign. If he let himself fall asleep, the hangover was inevitable. The eyelids were becoming too heavy. The eyes were rolling back to his head. He wouldn't be able to hang on for much longer.

"Kyōraku! Hey, Kyōraku!" Someone violently knocked on the door. The voice sure was familiar.

_"Ukitake? Is that you?" _

* * *

><p>"Kyōraku! Hey, Kyōraku!" Ukitake punched the door while he shouted but he got no answer.<p>

"Taichō! Don't force yourself too much!" Sentarō worriedly remembered his Captain of his health state.

"Kyōraku! Hey!" Ukitake continued to call for his best friend. Suddenly, the four Shinigami who were outside the office of Shunsui Kyōraku heard the sound of many glass objects breaking. They all froze instantly. What was happening on the other side of the door? It was then that they heard a weak and slurred voice.

"Ukitake...save me..."

"Kyōraku! Are you alright?" Ukitake asked, but for awhile he did not answer. The Captain of the 13th Division punched the door a few more times and that was when there was another reaction.

"Save me...sake...bring me...sake..." They heard. They looked at eachother. They sweatdropped. They fell to the floor.

"Really? Really? That is what will save him? Let me at him!" Nanao snapped in such a way that Sentarō and Kiyone had to grab her by her arms to prevent her from breaking down the door and attacking her Captain. Ukitake just sighed and shook his head, before holding a finger against the door's lock.

"Hadō #1: Shō" With reiatsu, Ukitake generated a small force that thrusted the lock back, separating it from the door and allowing Ukitake to push the latter. "Let me go by myself. I want to talk to him alone about what he's doing with his life."

"Hai." Sentarō, Kiyone and a now calmer Nanao nodded. Ukitake entered in the office and closed the door behind him. The office was stuffy, dark, without any sign of light and with an unbearable smell of alcohol. Predictable. Ukitake felt the walls, looking for the switch to turn on the lights. When he did, his jaw hit the floor. What a sad scene that was. All the objects that used to be on the desk had been overthrown and replaced by empty bottles of sake. Some documents had remained there and ended up stained with drops of alcohol that had escaped from Kyōraku's mouth.

The floor around the desk, was also covered with bottles of various sizes, shapes and (previously) contents. Ukitake could only shake his head, while he thought in which state would he find his friend. Knowing that there was a cupboard in one of the office's corners, Ukitake just ended up looking at there. There he was, sitting against the wall, with his hair greasy and unkempt, his beard longer than usual and his black kosode stained like the documents that were on the desk, but on a much larger scale. At his side, the cupboard had fallen, or Kyōraku made it fall, breaking it and its contents into many pieces.

"Kyōraku...Kyōraku..." Ukitake kneeled by his side and called his name, only to find out that he had fallen asleep. With the help of a few slaps, he ended up awakening his friend. "I guess talking will have to wait..."

"Did you..." Kyōraku let out a big yawn, before he grimaced in pain. The headache had started already. "Sake-chan...Did you bring it?"

"Shut up and stand." Ukitake ordered, as he put Kyōraku's arm over his shoulders to help him get up. "You have a private bathroom here, right?"

"I guess ..." Kyōraku mumbled, as he was too busy trying to figure out what was going on. "Where am I?"

"In the same place where you were in the last 10 days. We really need to have a serious talk... Sentarō!" Ukitake called one of his 3rd Seats, who appeared in front of them immediately, but was unable to stop his eyes from increasing in size. "Yeah, I know...You will tell the girls to come in and fix the lock. We don't want someone to see him, right? Then they can clean up this mess. It's not fair to them, but we're out of time to be this boy here to do it... After you give them this message, I want you to come to the bathroom. We have to put him minimally presentable to appear in front of Yamamoto-sensei. "

"You mean...give him bath?" Sentarō asked in disbelief.

"A drunk's worst enemy is water. You know that right?" Ukitake asked and Sentarō ended up nodding in agreement, before heading towards the girls, leaving Ukitake to drag Kyōraku to the bathroom by himself. "You've become really troublesome, Kyōraku."

* * *

><p>"IDIOTS!" The angry shout of the Captain Commander of the Gotei 13 was felt throughout the entire Soul Society. In front of Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto were the Captains of the 6th, 8th and 11th Divisions, each with a different mood: Kenpachi showed himself distant and dull, Byakuya kept a solemn but also indifferent look, while Shunsui had his head spinning after the yelling of his mentor. "You lost your Captain's haori? Have it destroyed by your opponent during a battle is one thing, but losing it? How can you look so nonchalant about it?"<p>

"Sōtaichō...Do not worry." Byakuya calmly tried to reassure the oldest Shinigami of the Gotei 13. "It was just a cheap coat, so I will pay for it."

"That's not what I'm concerned about! And it was not cheap, you idiot!" Yamamoto scolded again, violently hitting the tip of his cane on the ground to reinforce the idea. "Listen! Battles are not just about winning! What do you people think the Captain's haori is anyway?"

"A pain in the ass." Kenpachi simply stated, while he stared to the window.

"Cheap." Byakuya repeated the idea previously transmitted.

"For fashion?" Shunsui tried to guess, while his head continued to tumble and Yamamoto's voice continued to echo in his ears.

"YOU'RE ALL IDIOTS!" Yamamoto's yelling shook the Soul Society again. It seemed like strong winds were created along with his words. Powerful winds that ruffled Byakuya, who didn't flinch though. Shunsui though, due to those same winds and the headache caused by the hangover and the high screams of Yamamoto, became dizzy and spun around before landing on the floor.

"What a pain..." Kenpachi showed a brief grimace of pain and even had to use his right pinkie to unblock his ears.

"Listen carefully now! The Captain's haori is a symbol of the Gotei 13 and, of all things, you lose it!" Genryūsai Yamamoto resumed the reprimand to the three Captains.

* * *

><p>"Sōtaichō seems to be in high spirits." Sentarō noted, while he unblocked his ear just like Kenpachi did. Both him and Ukitake were sitting in the hallway, with their back against the wall. Kiyone however, was lying on the floor, unconscious from the powerful roars of Yamamoto.<p>

"Yeah, it has been just over a week since the battle and he lost his left arm, but his strength seems to be back. I'm relieved. There's still no Shinigami in Soul Society who can take his place." Ukitake pondered with a sad smile and a thoughtfool look.

**Flashback**

By the time Kyōraku left the bathroom, the whole office had been cleaned. The only difference was that a cupboard was missing in one of the corners of the office. At the desk, Kyōraku was seated on his chair with a cup of hot coffee in front of him, while Ukitake sat opposite.

"Yama-jii wants me there, eh?" Kyōraku asked, rubbing his forehead in a useless attempt to make the pain go away. "I don't think I'm in condition..."

"Blame yourself for that. I believe you'll be worse if you fail to answer Yamamoto-sensei's call without a proper justification." Ukitake stopped talking for a moment to take a sip of his coffee. "At least you didn't tarnish your kimono. You may be able to hide the fact that you lost your Captain's haori from Yamamoto-sensei."

"I doubt it. I'm in no condition to hide a thing." Kyōraku rubbed his face, his eyes and rested his head on his left hand while waving the cup in his other hand. "You should've given me more sake. The best way to avoid a hangover is to keep on drinking."

"The best way to avoid a hangover is to not drink at all." Ukitake corrected, causing Kyōraku to release an annoyed sigh. "It's her again, isn't it?"

"Her who?" Kyōraku tried not to understand but Ukitake looked at him in a way that made the 8th Division's Captain sure about not being able to fool his best friend.

"I always thought that the reason why you chose Nanao Ise to be your Vice-Captain was because of her looks." Ukitake then came closer to whisper. "She sure looks a lot like Lisa."

"You heard, eh?" Kyōraku sighed, as he wasn't going to be able of escaping the interrogation.

"Barely. I was nearly unconscious with all the pain but I still listened to the ending." Ukitake revealed. "Well, she really was a bit harsh on you, but..."

"But she was right." Kyōraku finished for him and Ukitake hesitantly nodded. "I don't know what hit me harder, her words or the fact that she hates me."

"Don't know if she hates you, but she sure was disappointed. That says a lot, doesn't it?" Ukitake questioned.

"Yeah...I've thinking about that too." Kyōraku admited, while he rubbed his own face again. "That's why I said it. Love easily turns into hate...Aah, what am I going to do, Ukitake?"

"Mistakes can be fixed. Even if things don't go back to what they were, at least it may ease the burden you carry at the moment." Ukitake suggested. "You have to do what you didn't do back then."

"Won't it seem too forced?" Kyōraku asked, after he pondered for awhile. "I mean, it will look like I'm doing it just because of what she said."

"Then leave that for later. Start with your own ideas."

"Bring them back?" Kyōraku wondered. "Won't be easy...Central 46 isn't easy to deal with."

"I can't help you too much with that. My knowledge about how to deal with them is pretty much the same as yours. But..." Ukitake finished his coffee and then let out a confident smirk. "When we don't know something, we should ask for advice and there's one man who sure has given us a lot of that over the years."

"Yama-jii..." Kyōraku concluded and Ukitake nodded. There was no one with more knowledge throughout the Soul Society than their former mentor. Kyōraku eventually released a long sigh and a shy smile. "Thanks Ukitake. I will talk with him...as long as you give me an aspirin before I go."

**End of Flashback**

_"Who knows if they won't be able to find a way?"_ Ukitake thought, while his long white hair flew to his side, due to another loud roar of the Captain Commander.

* * *

><p><strong>Translations:<strong>

**1- **sanseki means "3rd Seat"

**2- **nanaseki means "7th Seat"

**3- **taichō means "captain"

**4- **sōtaichō means "captain-commander"

**5- **fukutaichō means "vice-captain"

**6-** reiatsu means "spiritual pressure"

**7-** kosode is the black robe used by Shinigami**  
><strong>

**-Nawirama13**


End file.
